[Avodah] Medrash

[Zev Sero]

Micha Berger wrote:

> I would have thought that the topic is a non-starter until someone actually
> finds a maqor that says "I am choleiq with the Rambam, aggadic stories that
> seem like tall tales are historical", or with the Ritva, the Rashba, the
> Maharsha, the Maharal, the Gra, the Maharitz Chajes, RSRH, RYSalanter... And
> for that matter someone who is maximalist WRT another famous topic, R' Feldman
> in his overview to The Juggler and the King (pg xxii), said besheim haGra.
> 
> That would be enough to say there are two sides to the matter. I do not see
> how an idea with such a list of supporters could ever be dismissed altogether.

Well on this one we have the Maharsha, who says "I don't know who forced"
the Aruch to take the tail tale non-literally.  Which means that the
Maharsha holds that one needs a reason to take such stories non-literally,
and in this case he sees no such reason.

On the other side of the spectrum, I've never heard of *anyone* who
takes the RBBC stories literally, so arguments against such a position
are using a straw man.

-- 
Zev Sero               Something has gone seriously awry with this Court's
zev at sero.name          interpretation of the Constitution.
                       	                          - Clarence Thomas